Acts of resistance
Tuk was cautiously peering past the leaves of a tree, a set of stolen binoculars aiding her vision. In front of her there was an open field of tree stumps and dusty earth. In the center was a mess of buildings on a rectangular concrete platform, surrounded a metal wire fence. Adjacent there was a railway line. Less than an hour ago a train had stopped here to unload supplies. The shapes of Sky People were wandering around inside the fence, their machines moving around crates.
She lowered her binoculars, her hand going to her throat radio. "Eagle eye, this is Stalker. Got a pretty nasty looking setup here. I'm looking at a kill field, probably all mined. I've seen small groups leaving to the jungle and back, though. So there's got to be paths through. You just need to find them."
"Patrols? Did any of them spot you?" Lo'ak asked, immediately sounding worried.
Tuk gave an irritated sigh. "I'm fine. The skxawng might walk around, but they've got no awareness of their surroundings. And damn few of them ever remember to look up. Besides, the amount of noise they make… I'd have to be deaf not to hear them first."
"Anyway, about the minefields that might be there… I tried to figure out the paths they might be using. But I didn't get a good enough picture of it to bet your life on it." She reported.
"Okay. That's alright. We'll figure something out. And thanks for trying." Lo'ak said.
"Any other defenses? And what about the layout of the place?" He continued to ask.
"Two gates in the fence, one opening towards the railway line, second on the opposite side. Barbed wire and sentry guns on top of the fence. I count six guns. Two flanking each gate, one at the midpoint of the other facings. I see two towers on opposing corners of the compound. There's a guy on each, a lookout probably. Possibly with sniper rifles. There's at least three other buildings and half a dozen of what I think are fuel tanks. There's a big open field right at the forefront, probably for gunships and such to land. It's empty now though. So I don't think we have to worry about their flying machines at the moment."
"Any ideas on how many RDA we're dealing with?" Lo'ak's voice came from the other end of the radio.
"I'd say about twenty, maybe twenty five soldiers all told. Add maybe two AMP suits. And a sizeable bunch of workers. Not sure how many of those. Been watching them wandering in and out of the buildings the whole time I've been looking." She replied.
"Okay. That's very good. Head on back, and we'll start putting together our plan of attack on this end." Lo'ak said.
"I could stay put, radio in if something changes?" She suggested.
"No. You've done your part now. Come on back." Lo'ak said sternly.
"But…" She tried.
"Do as I say. Remember our agreement." Lo'ak cut her off.
Tuk rolled her eyes, giving a frustrated grumble under her breath. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll head back to camp. Should be there in an hour or two."
"Good. Remember to radio if you run into any trouble." Lo'ak said.
A sour expression on her face she left her hiding spot. "Same thing every bloody time." She thought bitterly as she moved along the branches. Why did he always have to baby her? Why couldn't he trust her to do her job right? Why couldn't he let her help? She was more than willing to, only to be constantly refused. Even getting his permission to act as a scout and runner had been a toil. It just wasn't fair…
Elsewhere Lo'ak was crouching down on a stretch of sand at the shore of a small stream. Tsireya, Kiri, Aonung and a number of other Na'vi of various descriptions were gathered around him. His fingers had drawn a map of the base on the sand based on Tuk's description.
He clenched his teeth, his eyes on the map. "Gotta say, Tuk was right. Nasty setup." He mused.
"Still think we can hit it?" Kiri asked, her arms crossed, looking at Lo'ak.
"Maybe. But we're definitely not going to do this from the ground." Lo'ak replied.
"From the air then? There's a good chance they will still be able to fire on us." Aonung commented.
"Yup. So they could. So we can't just hang around being shot at that way either." Lo'ak conceded. "I think what we would need to do is fly as high as we can and get above them. Hopefully out of range and out of sight. Then we could dive down as fast as possible, get us to ground level so we can get cover from the buildings. We can have our Ikran drop us off and fly away so they don't get killled."
"Is that wise? There's only so many Ikrans. Even if we doubled up there wouldn't be enough room for everyone. We'd be understrength. And the way the Sky People have placed their weapons… attacking like you suggest would be like diving into the jaws of a predator. If anything were to go wrong and we would need to retreat… we might have a hard time getting back out through the teeth. Especially if we've sent the Ikran away for their safety." Tsireya pointed out.
"She does have a point, man. I know you wanted to impress on the first attack we were in charge of. We did too. But… we'd best be sure we're not biting off more than we can chew. We might be better off cutting our teeth on something smaller first. We could hunt down some of these patrols Tuk spoke about, thin their ranks." Aonung echoed.
"We wouldn't be able to keep that up for long before they sent heavy reinforcements. And taking down a few of their troops won't make any difference in the long run. If we want to hit them where it hurts that outpost has to go. If we are serious about this resistance we need to be bold." Lo'ak argued.
Kiri nodded to herself as she listened. It made sense. The people they had managed to cobble together had followed them because they had promised them a chance to hit back against the Sky People properly. They needed to deliver on that. Go big or go home. They just needed to find some way to…
"What if we had some extra help? Something to help a ground group get in?" She spoke up.
"Extra help? You mean…?" Lo'ak asked.
Kiri nodded. "I might be able to rustle something up. Don't know how we're going to do this without it. Once we're finished here I can go for a walk, see what I can find."
Lo'ak contemplated for a few moments, then nodded himself. "Okay. In that case… Aonung, you can lead some of us in a ground team. I'll take to the air with the rest. Bring them to the edge of the kill field, as close to the forest side gate as you can. Stay out of sight, and wait for word from Kiri."
"Got it." Aonung replied.
"Meanwhile, Kiri, you can go do your thing. Aonung and I will be waiting for your word. Tell us when and if you've found something and you're in position, and we will start our attack. Once we start Aonung and his team will follow you in. If you can't find anything then we'll call off the attack." Lo'ak continued.
"So, uh… I guess whether or not this whole thing actually takes place is entirely up to you." He added.
"Well, no pressure at all when you put it like that." Kiri joked. "Alright. I'll head out."
"Going for a walk? Right when we're about to…? What is happening here?" Asked Natzu, one of their newer recruits.
"That's a longer story. But she has some pretty amazing abilities. You'll see." Aonung answered.
Later on Kiri was walking the woods. As so often before she found herself drawn by the beauty of the world around her. She tried to keep herself from being too distracted, reluctantly tearing herself away every time she noticed she was losing focus on why she was here. Still, she found herself longing for an opportunity to walk this jungle without hurry or a responsibility weighing her down, like she had been able to do when she was still a child. She might have spent hours captivated by something simple that caught her interest. Other Na'vi of course had a deep connection to the nature of their world. But even so it did not seem most of them were able to see their home quite like she did. She could not quite decide if that difference made her proud of herself… or sad to be so different.
Occasionally she stopped, closing her eyes and laying a hand on the ground or on the trunk of one of the trees. As she did so… she could sense the world around her. Plants, trees, animals. It was like she could feel through their senses, hear through their ears, see through their eyes. It was much the same as when she established tsaheylu. Except her queue wasn't connected to anything at the moment, and… it wasn't just one being. It was all of them, all at once.
The longer she listened to the more she could sense. She could feel her own consciousness starting to expand beyond the confines of her skull, merging with the teeming life around her, her physical self just a component of the enormity. She might have accidentally slipped into that expanded mindset completely, had she not run across an abrupt disturbance amongst the endless beauty. To the senses of the plants it was a sudden black zone. A yawning void of which nothing was felt. But through the eyes of the creatures close by she could see the ordered structure of steel and concrete that lay at the heart of the zone. Evidence of the illness that had taken hold in their world. The sight caused a flicker of anger within her, and reminded her of her task.
She withdrew herself back into the confines of her own mind. The process of it wasn't exactly pleasant. It left her feeling drained, like she had been woken up with too little sleep. But she shook off the effects, resuming her search. She shook her head angrily at herself. She was better than this. This was not a good time to fall asleep, go into a trance or do anything else weird that the others sometimes caught her doing.
Perhaps she should have asked someone to come with her, to make sure she remained focused. But no, she would much rather the others were involved as little as possible. Some like Aonung had come around, learning to appreciate the potential of her talents. But not all would be as understanding, especially if they knew the accompanying weirdness. She did not wish to be seen as a weapon. Or a freak. So she would not involve the others more than was necessary. Truth to be told she might not have wanted to do this at all under other circumstances. But like Lo'ak had pointed out this planned attack did not seem to be going anywhere without her assistance. She was needed. And this was hardly the first time.
Plus what she was planning was easier to do when others were not interfering.
She walked for a while longer, then stopped again, once more searching the area nearby with her mind. And this time she came across something else. A group of something big.
"There. Angtsik." She realized. Perfect. Exactly what she had been looking for.
She had to walk for a short while longer, after which she emerged from behind the bushes before a herd of Hammerheads. The creatures reacted to her sudden appearance with alarm, most of them retreating away, while the big bull that was the head of the herd stepped forward to block her path.
"Be calm, brothers and sisters! Be calm. I've not come to hurt you." She said, spreading her arms, walking forward slowly. Just why she thought they could understand her words she could not say. But all the same something about her seemed to calm them, the bull and the rest of the heard regarding her with cautious curiosity. As she approached the bull he lowered his head slowly, almost respectfully. She laid her hands on the broad horns, then lowered her head to rub against the hard surface as well.
"I need your help. There is something I have to do. But I can't do it without you." She said, her eyes closed.
She felt a tap against the back of her head, and realized the Hammerhead was offering its queue to her. Encouraged by this she formed the bond at once, climbing atop the massive creature. Their thoughts now joined she pictured where she wanted to go. The bull set off at a ponderous walk. The others of the herd remained behind, seeming to realize she would only want to risk one of them. She hoped it would be enough.
She made her way right to the edge of the kill zone, just able to make out the compound between the trees. Any closer than this and she would be spotted for sure. She glanced to her left, just able to make out the shapes of her fellow Na'vi hidden on the ground and in the trees. She could not see them right now, but somewhere overhead Lo'ak and his group should have taken their positions as well.
"I'm ready. Say something if you aren't." She said into her radio, then waited for several moments for a possible protest.
"Alright I'm going in." She said upon hearing not response, then turned her attention to the Hammerhead she was riding.
"Charge forward. Destroy the gate. Let the others in. Stop for nothing." She commanded in her mind. With a roar the bull charged.
The moment she emerged from the forest the automated turrets guarding the gate turned towards her and opened fire, hydra machine guns spewing forth a storm of bullets while an alarm began blaring inside the compound. The Hammerhead's thick armor withstood the barrage, but it was by no means pleasant. Kiri felt every impact through the bond, pounding with the force of a migraine. She meanwhile tried to make herself as small as possible, taking what cover from her mount she could.
As the bull charged onwards she had its head skimming the ground like a plough, kicking up enough dust to nearly blind herself and her ride. But she needed to do what she could to get rid of the possible mines for those following behind. At least the dust looked to confuse the targeting of the turrets somewhat, lessening the intensity of incoming fire.
After only a few moments she could confirm there indeed were mines. Some were sent flying by the horns of the Hammerhead as they rode over them. Others were set off, small explosions echoing all around her. The bone armor of her mount thankfully held fast once again. But no sooner had she thought that when there was a sudden sharp pain as a mine they had missed exploded right under the Hammerhead's frontmost foot. With one of his six legs injured the Hammerhead was slowed, but stubbornly continued his advance, urged on by her. The pain on his leg made the Hammerhead enraged; a rage that also seeped into her through their connection, a roar emanating from both their throats.
With all the dust flying around she did not see the gate until she was right in front of it. An instant later she was smashing through it, knocking it down and tearing the turrets from their moorings. And then she was in the midst of the base, rampaging through startled humans and their machines. Na'vi warriors were beginning to stream in behind her, ululating their war cries.
Lo'ak was seated on his Ikran, Tsireya sitting in front of him and his comrades all around him.
"Alright, I'm going in." Lo'ak heard Kiri's voice over the radio.
On hearing it he hollered at the other riders to catch their attention, then had his Ikran dive at a steep angle towards the base beneath. Wind whistling in his ears as the compound grew nearer, Lo'ak could see Kiri atop a hammerhead, dashing across the field and barreling through the enemy gates.
Moments later their Ikran came in range of the turrets, the surviving ones opening fire on his group, filling the air with tracer rounds. Several soldiers joined in, strobing light appearing in multiple parts of the facility. Lo'ak and his warriors weaved through this incoming fire as vest they could. One of their number was caught in a cluster of bullets, rider and mount sent from their dive into a spinning fall towards the ground. He felt a pang in his heart on seeing it, but there was little else to be done in the moment.
On their final approach Lo'ak levelled out their flight again, heading to one of the rooftops. In front of him Tsireya took aim with one of the half dozen javelins she had in her grip. Her throw flew into an alleyway catching an RDA grunt in the chest just as he took aim to shoot them down. Then they touched down, hurrying off his Ikran, who took flight again as soon as they had dismounted. Lo'ak searched for his first target taking the assault rifle slung behind his back. He took aim at a group of soldiers on the roof with them, who were forming into a firing line to shoot at the fighters emerging through the destroyed gate. A few bursts from his weapon killed two, while a second javelin from Tsireya took out a third. The remainder were forced to scatter to find cover.
Their fellow warriors were landing all around them firing their weapons as they arrived. Bows, spears and a few guns were beginning to claim human lives. Meanwhile the warriors coming through the gate were joining the battle on the ground, eager to do their part. With the defenders caught between two groups of attackers the compound turned into a chaos of smaller skirmishes.
Kiri and her Angtsik were attracting a lot of fire, Sky People frightened of the huge creature in their midst. The fence turrets could not fire directly into the yard, but there were plenty of other guns that could. By some dumb luck she had managed to avoid being hit, while the tough hide of her mount still presented a difficult challenge for the Sky People.
Kiri had the Hammerhead swing to the left, knocking over a forklift and a pair of soldiers nearby. Then her attention was caught by a feeling of pain on the Hammerhead's left side. An AMP-suit had appeared from around the corner of a nearby building. Its autocannon was firing wildly, actually managing to score a number of wounds on the more vulnerable flanks of the hammerhead. Kiri turned once again and charged. The AMP-suit tried to her out of the way, but was too slow. The machine was knocked flying, crumbling as it hit the ground, rolling on the concrete, bits of glass and metal strewn everywhere. Moments later the walker was utterly crushed beneath the feet of the Hammerhead as she rode over it.
Kiri came to a stop and began to turn around, ready to find her next target. Then something flew past the corner of her eye, and explosion rocking the side of her mount. A tremendous flash of pain followed as a wide wound was torn in the Hammerhead's flank. She was knocked off, their bond disconnecting and she fell painfully against the hard concrete below.
Rising up into a sitting position with a groan, she looked in the direction she had seen the projectile come from, seeing a human soldier busily reloading a rocket launcher. The Angtsik had seen the same, promptly attacking the soldier and crushing him before he could fire again. That might have been it but Kiri saw other soldiers with more rocket launchers appearing from several different directions. As if seeing through her eyes the Hammerhead turned towards the closest group of attackers. But she could see it was already too late.
"No!" Kiri shouted, rising to her feet and trying to rush in to help, though she was not sure what she could do. But the rocket troopers weren't completely alone. And as soon as she was on her feet one of them spotted her, firing in her direction with an assault rifle, forcing her to flee into cover. She herself didn't have weapons other than her knife. She could do nothing but watch.
Before the Hammerhead could do anything another rocket exploded at his hind quarter. Enraged the bull turned to face then new attacker, only for another warhead to hit his uninjured flank, then two more exploding near his head, the last one blowing apart a segment of his horns.
The Na'vi were responding to the shooting now, cutting down the last of the soldiers, the tide irreversible despite this last effort of the Sky People. But the damage was already done. The Angtsik staggered, swayed and finally fell to the ground as his legs gave out underneath him.
"No…" Kiri whispered, tears in her eyes. She still could not come out of hiding, the final sounds of the concluding fighting echoing around. In one of the lookout towers a sniper fired his weapon twice, killing a Na'vi warrior with both shots. After that Lo'ak picked up a rocket launcher from one of the dead soldiers and fired at the tower, blowing apart the top of it. Other warriors with him followed suite, using rocket launchers to finally destroy the fence turrets, clearing the sky for their Ikran. Then, at last, it came to an end.
Teary eyed, Kiri was finally able to cross the battlefield to her mount. The creature was still clinging to life. But his injuries left little doubt as to the direction he was going. Kiri knelt down, laying her hands on the bull's head, looking into his eye.
"I'm so sorry. I did this. I asked you to come. To fight our battle. And now you're going to… forgive me. I didn't mean for this to happen." She sobbed. The Angtsik was looking at her, and she got the impression she was forgiven. His eyes closed as he gave out one last rumbling breath, going still. She laid her forehead against the Angtsik, crying quietly.
"Kiri…" He heard from behind her after some time had passed, and turning her head she could see Lo'ak standing a short distance away a sad expression on his face.
She turned her eyes back to the Angtsik, bowing her head.
"He fought well. You two made us proud today." He tried to console her.
"He shouldn't have had to. This was our fight, not his. I shouldn't have asked." She countered.
"You had to. Just as we had to risk our Ikran. And the Sky People are a danger to them too. We've seen that time and again. This IS their fight as well." He said.
She did not seem to have heard her. "Did we lose many others?"
"Some. We're sorting out how many." He said.
"Figures. Even when we win it seems we lose something else. I hate this war." She said bitterly.
"I… I need some time." She added.
He nodded. "Of course. We'll come get you when it's time to go."
With Lo'ak gone she turned her full attention to the Hammerhead again.
"I See You, friend. Thank you, and farewell. May your spirit walk with Eywa." She whispered, gently stroking the head of the fallen creature.